The Packers will have to cut the current 90 man roster down to 53 for the season's start in just a few weeks and one of the players who's destiny is in the air is Donald Driver.
There are currently 12 men fighting for five or six WR spots on that final roster. It seems a foregone conclusion that guys like Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and James Jones are already penned onto that final list. That means eight other men are fighting for one or two other spots and one of those fighting is long-time veteran Donald Driver.
At 37, Driver is definitely one of the older men on the field, though he's in as good a shape as anyone else out there.
One of the reasons guys like Cobb and Jones get the nod over Driver is their usability on Special Teams. Driver only working as a WR actually lessens his value.
Driver's contract is $1.8 million while the other hopefuls will be making considerably less. That cap hit might be a consideration by the team in making their decision.
That being said, there's probably not a guy on the practice field right now getting more love than Driver, and that include MVP QB Aaron Rodgers. Driver is the sentimental favorite and fans are showing up to practice to applaud his every catch.
The Packers would have to weigh heavily the fan reaction to releasing a player like Driver.
Diondre Borel, one of the other probables to make the team, does work on Special Teams, upping his value, but he flubbed a kickoff return in the first preseason game.
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The decision is basically going to come down to sentimentality. The other guys in contention all have major potential. Will they be willing to stick around a try to grow on the practice squad and make a move next year? Is losing that possible future talent worth keeping Driver around for one more season? Is pissing off the fan base by choosing one of these guys over Driver worth their possible future growth?
